Apparatus for cutting

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for cutting a cylindrical sleeve (7) during continuous displacement of the sleeve (7) in its longitudinal direction, for example in connection with continuous manufacture of the sleeve (7) in an appropriate machine. The apparatus includes a longitudinal slide (30) which is displaceable synchronously with the sleeve (7) during rotation thereof and movement in its longitudinal direction. A knife (36) is impressible into the wall of the sleeve (7) during longitudinal displacement of the slide (30) and the sleeve (7). The knife (36) is mounted on a cross slide (39,40; 43,44) which is reciprocal transversely of the longitudinal axis of the sleeve (7), and thereby transversely of the direction of movement of the longitudinal slide (30) for impressing the knife (36) into the wall of the sleeve (7) for cutting a desired length of the sleeve.

The present invention relates to an apparatus for cutting cylindricalsleeves during the continuous displacement of the sleeve in itslongitudinal direction, for example in connection with continuousmanufacture of the sleeve in an appropriate machine, the apparatusincluding a longitudinal slide which is displaceable synchronously withthe sleeve during its rotation and movement in the longitudinaldirection, and which is provided with a knife which is impressible intothe wall of the sleeve during the rotation and longitudinal displacementof the longitudinal slide and the sleeve.

There are many prior art apparatuses of the above-disclosed type forcutting sleeves for use in, for example, the papermaking industry. Thesleeves may advantageously be manufactured in direct association withthe cutting apparatus by alternating helical windings of paper and/orcardboard webs on a support pipe to the desired material thickness ofthe sleeve. The finished sleeve is often fed direct into a cuttingapparatus and, therefore, as a rule has not completely dried whencutting is to take place, but displays a certain degree of softness.Naturally, this places stringent and special requirements on the cuttingapparatus which must execute the cutting operation during the rotationand continuous longitudinal displacement of the sleeve without anyunacceptable deformation of the end of the sleeve or the incisionsurface itself. The prior art apparatuses are of extremely complexdesign and construction, entailing many drawbacks in the form ofoperational downtime, sleeve rejection, etc.

The task forming the basis of the present invention is to improve priorart cutting apparatuses for achieving more rational sleeve cutting thanhitherto, this moreover without resulting in any deterioration in thedesired quality of the incision face.

This task is solved according to the present invention in the apparatusdisclosed by way of introduction, in that the knife is mounted on across slide which is reciprocal transversely of the longitudinaldirection of the sleeve and, thereby, transversely of the direction ofmovement of the longitudinal slide for urging the knife into the wall ofthe sleeve for cutting a desired length of the sleeve. The cross slidehas a forward, knife-carrying section and a rear section guiding thereciprocal movement during the longitudinal displacement, these sectionsbeing interconnected by means of a piston and cylinder assembly, partlyfor fixing the mutual position of the sections, and partly for mutuallydisplacing the sections to and away from one another. The sections aremounted on a number of rails for the movement transversely of thelongitudinal axis of the sleeve, and the rear section has a guide pinwhich extends into a guide groove along the sleeve and is displacedreciprocally in the guide groove during the movement of the longitudinalslide synchronously with the sleeve and back to its starting position.The forward section displays an arm which, at its free end, carries afreely rotatable knife and, at its opposing end, is longitudinallydisplaceably mounted on the forward section, whereby the free portion ofthe arm, outside the forward section, is adjustable for adaptation todifferent diameters of the sleeve. The longitudinal slide is coupled toan end arm by means of a rod which extends along the sleeve, and thedistance between the longitudinal slide and the end arm is adjustable inresponse to the desired length of the cut sleeve, a piston and cylinderassembly being disposed between a fixed portion in the apparatus and thelongitudinal slide in order to cooperate in the displacement thereofwith the sleeve and in order to return the slide and end arm to theirstarting positions after the cutting operation. The end arm is pivotalaway from the end of the sleeve by means of a piston and cylinderassembly. On either side of the sleeve, there are disposed supportrollers which are mounted on pivotal arms for rolling off a cut sleevein either direction. The longitudinal slide is provided with twomutually registering cross slides which are substantially identical andare arranged to execute substantially the same, but mutuallycounter-directed movement patterns.

The present invention provides an apparatus possessing extraordinaryproperties, primarily in respect of cutting continuously manufacturedsleeves. The incision face obtained will be very even, considering boththe incision proper and the entire end surface. The apparatus accordingto the present invention permits extremely rational cutting ofcontinuously manufactured sleeves at relatively high speed but withoutany deterioration in the desired quality of the incision face and theend surface proper. Furthermore, the apparatus according to the presentinvention is extremely versatile and permits very rapid switching todifferent sleeve dimensions, in respect of both length and diameter ofthe sleeve. Without any particularly major modifications, it willfurther appear possible to render the apparatus fully automated and tocontinuously cut sleeves of different lengths. Moreover, the apparatusaccording to the present invention is of simple design and construction,which guarantees a high degree of operational dependability andrelatively simple maintenance.

The present invention will now be described in greater detailhereinbelow, with particular reference to the accompanying Drawings.

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a part of an apparatus according to oneembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of a part of an apparatus according to thepresent invention, an encircled section being shown on a larger scale inFIG. 2A.

FIG. 3 is a side elevation of the part shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a side elevation of a part of the apparatus according to thepresent invention.

FIG. 5 is a side elevation of a part of the apparatus of FIG. 1.

The embodiment of an apparatus according to the present invention asshown in FIGS. 1-5 is a prototype and is intended for the cutting ofsleeves which are manufactured in immediate association with theillustrated apparatus. In this process, a number of paper and/orcardboard strips, or strips of other suitable material, are helicallywound on each other on a support pipe, during rotation and continuouslongitudinal displacement of the completed sleeve. A suitable glue isapplied between the strips. When the finished sleeve arrives at theapparatus shown on the drawings, the pipe converts into a longitudinallydisplaceable mandrel D which accompanies the sleeve in order to form asubstrate at the cutting site and is thereafter returned to a startingposition in order to accompany the next sleeve up to the cutting site,so that the cutting operation always takes place with the mandrel actingas a substrate. These parts are to be found in prior art apparatuses ofsimilar type, for which reason they are not shown on the drawings ordescribed in any great detail.

The apparatus according to the present invention is constructed around aclad frame 1 which, in addition to the frame for the apparatus, housesautomation and regulation equipment 2 and an operating panel 3. A squarerod or square tube 4 extends through the frame or cabinet 1, this tubebeing optionally quadratic and adjustable with respect to the distanceout from the cabinet or frame 1 that the rod 4 is to project. The rod 4is positionally fixable by means of clamping devices 5 and 6 on both thedischarge side and the infeed side. The rod 4 extends along thelongitudinal axis of the sleeve. On the infeed side of the apparatus,there is disposed a largely U-shaped cradle 8 in which the sleeve 7 mayrest during longitudinal displacement through the apparatus. The cradle8 is mounted on an arm 9 which in turn is mounted on the end of a pistonand cylinder assembly 10 for movement of the cradle 8 to and from thelongitudinal axis of the sleeve 7. By means of a screw with an end wheelwhich has a handle, the arm 9 and the cradle 8 are vertically adjustablein relation to the piston and cylinder assembly for adaptation to thediameter of the sleeve 7.

At the opposing end of the apparatus in relation to the cradle 8, thereis provided an upstanding support arm 19 which is Y-shaped, thevertically upstanding portion of the arm 19 being provided with alongitudinal recess 20 for cooperation with a clamping device for fixingthe arm 19 in the desired vertical position. The mutually divergingshanks 22 of the arm 19 are provided with a number of spaced-apart holes23 for journalling a support wheel or support roller 24 at a suitabledistance from the vertical section of the arm 19, in order to create asuitable support for the sleeve 7.

Basically, that portion of the sleeve 7 which is to be cut off is topass the arm 19 and the rollers 24, and the end of the sleeve abutsagainst an end disk 25 on an end arm 26. A number of angled supportrollers 27, 28 are disposed between the arm 19 and the end disk 25, thenumber of support rollers being adapted to the length of that sleeve 7which is to be cut off. The end arm 26 and the support rollers 27, 28are mounted on that section of the rod 4 which extends out from thecabinet of frame 1. The rod 4 is supported from a support surface bymeans of a number of legs 29. The end arm 26 and the support rollers 27,28 will be described in greater detail later in this specification.

A longitudinal slide 30 is disposed on the frame or cabinet 1 and isdisplaceable along two parallel rails 31 disposed on either side of thelongitudinal axis of the sleeve 7. The cross section of the rails 31 issubstantially I-shaped, the web being relatively robust and the cornersbetween the web and the flanges forming paths for balls in a carriage32. The longitudinal slide 30 is mounted on a suitable number ofcarriages 32 in order to be readily displaceable in the longitudinaldirection of the axis of the sleeve 7. The piston in a piston andcylinder assembly 33 is interconnected with the longitudinal slide 30,while the cylinders in the assembly 33 are mounted on the frame. Thus,the piston and cylinder assembly 33 may cooperate in the longitudinaldisplacement of the longitudinal slide 30. By means of a round bar 34,the longitudinal slide 30 is fixedly connected to the end arm 26. Thebar 34 extends straight over the square rod 4, and a number of supportrollers 35 may be provided on the rod 4. The distance, fixed by the bar34, between the end arm 26 (or, more precisely, the end disk 25) and thelongitudinal slide 30 (or, more precisely the knife 36 disposed thereon)corresponds to the desired length of that sleeve 7 which is to be cut.

The length of that sleeve 7 which is to be cut is thus determined by thelength of the bar 34. The length of the bar 34 may be adjustable, ordifferent segments of the bar 34 may be replaceable by others forachieving the desired length of the sleeve 7.

On the longitudinal slide 30, there are disposed mutually registeringrails 37 on either side of the longitudinal axis of the sleeve 7. Therails 37 may be of the same type as the rails 31, and there are disposedthereon a suitable number of carriages 38 of the same type as thecarriage 32. On the pairwise disposed rails 37, there are provided twopairs of forward carriages 38 and two pairs of rear carriages 38. Theforward carriage pair 38 is interconnected with a plate 39 which carriesan upstanding anchorage 40 for a piston rod 41 in a piston and cylinderassembly 42. The rear carriage pair 38 is interconnected with a plate 43which carries a frame 44 in which the cylinder in the piston andcylinder assembly 42 is secured. An arm 45 is disposed on the plate 39,the forward end of this arm carrying the knife 36 which is freelyrotatable. A safety hood 46 is disposed on the rear side of the knife.The rear end of the arm 45 is displaceably mounted on rods 47 and isinterconnected with a threaded rod 48A for displacement of the arm 45along the rods by means of a wheel 48B on the end of the threaded rod.The position of the knife 36 outside the frame 44 is, thus, adjustablewith the aid of the wheel 48B, while the entire cross slide which isformed by the parts carried by the carriages 38 is displaceabletransversely of the longitudinal axis of the sleeve 7 largely betweenthe positions of the knife 36 shown by ghosted and solid lines. Theforward and rear sections of the cross slide are interconnected to oneanother by means of the piston and cylinder assembly 41, 42, whichresults in there is a displacement possibility between the forwardsection and the rear section, and that the coupling between the twoportions may be fixed and, in principle, disconnected or released.

For displacing the cross slide towards and away from the sleeve 7, thereis provided, on the underside of the plate 39 between the carriages 38,a holder 49 with a pin 50 which advantageously carries a ball bearingwhich extends down into a guide groove 51 in a plate 52 which is securedon the frame or cabinet 1. The guide grove 51 in the plate 52 isrectilinear and extends first at an angle of approx. 4.5° to thelongitudinal axis of the sleeve 7 and thereafter substantially parallelwith the longitudinal axis of the sleeve 7. In FIG. 2, the pin 50 isshown in the starting position of the cross slide, which corresponds tothe starting position of the longitudinal slide 30. Since thelongitudinal slide 30 moves reciprocally between the left-hand end ofthe plate 52 and the right-hand end of the plate 52, the cross slidewill move radially in towards and out away from the longitudinal axis ofthe sleeve 7 and parallel therealong. During the movement in theobliquely inclined portion of the guide groove 51, the cross slide willurge the knife 36 into and through the wall of the sleeve 7. The end arm26 is displaceable on a rail 53 of the same type as the rails 31 and 37and is mounted on a carriage 54 of the same type as the carriages 32 and38. When the sleeve 7 meets the end disk 25, the arm 26 will bedisplaced along the rail 53 and, via the bar 34, entrain thelongitudinal slide 30 and the cross slides mounted thereon, whereuponthe knives 36 will be urged into the wall of the sleeve 7 andtherethrough, because of the guiding of the cross slides by means of thepins 50 in the guide grooves 51 of the guide plates 52 on either side.When the pin 50 has reached that portion in the guide groove 51 parallelwith the longitudinal axis of the sleeve, penetration cutting of thewall of the sleeve 7 will have been completed, and the piston andcylinder assembly 42 may be caused to disengage the forward and rearsections from one another so as to avoid damage to the mandrel locatedin the sleeve 7. This is, naturally, a particularly great advantage ifthe mandrel is of steel, whereby damage to both the knife 36 and themandrel can be avoided.

When the knives 36 have penetrated a distance into the wall of thesleeve 7, driving of the longitudinal slide 30 is taken over by thepiston and cylinder assembly 33 which is also employed, on the one hand,to initiate and thereafter support displacement of the longitudinalslide 30 after engagement with the end arm 26 and, on the other hand,for return of the longitudinal slide 30 to its starting position. Sincethe piston and cylinder assembly 33 takes over the forward driving ofthe longitudinal slide 30 during the penetration of the knives 36, theend arm 26 may be pivoted away from its engagement with the end of thesleeve 7 in either direction, with the aid of a piston and cylinderassembly 55 for pivoting the arm 26 in one direction and in the otherdirection. FIG. 5 shows the positions by means of ghosted lines, likethe support rollers 27 and 28. The incision face will thereby beimproved. The cut sleeve 7 resting on the support rollers 27, 28 isremoved therefrom by pivoting either the support rollers 27, which arelocated on one side of the longitudinal axis of the sleeve 7, or thesupport rollers 28, which are located on the opposite side of thelongitudinal axis of the sleeve 7. The support rollers 27, 28 are eachrotatably disposed on their rod which is pivotally disposed on an arm 57which extends down to the rod 4. The opposing end of the rod in relationto the rollers 27, 28 is connected to the piston 58 in a piston andcylinder assembly 59 which is secured on the arm 57. The arm 57 extendsover to the opposite side of the support roller 27 and there carries anadditional piston and cylinder assembly which is identical to the pistonand cylinder assembly 59. Thus, the cut sleeve may be removed from themachine in one direction or the other.

On the end arm 26, there is further disposed a yoke 60 which serves toretain the end of the sleeve 7 at the end disk 25. The vertical positionof the yoke 60 is adjustable to permit setting thereof in correspondencewith the diameters of the sleeve 7.

The mounting of the knife 36 proper is shown in greater detail in FIG.2A. The knife 36 is secured to one end of a shaft 61 which is journalledin a housing 62 which, in turn, is adjustable in a casing 63 and fixableby means of a wheel 64. Naturally, this adjustment possibility permitsfine adjustment of the position of the knife.

It is clearly apparent from FIG. 1 that the longitudinal slide 30 isprovided with two mutually registering cross slides, and that theseoperate towards one another in one and the same incision in the sleeve7.

Many modifications are conceivable without departing from the spirit andscope of the inventive concept as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:
 1. An apparatus for cutting a cylindrical sleeve (7) as thesleeve (7) is continuously displaced in its longitudinal direction,during continuous manufacture of the sleeve (7), the apparatuscomprising:a longitudinal slide (30) which is displaceable synchronouslywith the sleeve (7) during rotation and movement of the sleeve in itslongitudinal direction; a knife (36); a cross slide (39,43) having theknife (36) mounted thereon, the cross slide (39,43) being reciprocaltransversely of the longitudinal direction of the sleeve (7), andthereby transversely of the direction of movement of the longitudinalslide (30), for impressing the knife (36) into the wall of the sleeve(7) during longitudinal displacement of the longitudinal slide (30) andthe sleeve (7), for cutting a desired length of the sleeve (7), thecross slide (39,43) having a forward, knife-carrying section (43,44) anda rear section (39,40) guiding the reciprocal movement during thelongitudinal displacement; a piston and cylinder assembly (41,42)interconnecting the cross slide sections (43, 44; 39,40) with oneanother, for fixing the mutual position of the sections and fordisengaging the sections (39,40; 43,44) from one another after movementa predetermined distance in towards the longitudinal axis of the sleeve(7); a plurality of rails (37) having the cross slide sections (39,40;43,44) mounted thereon for the movement transversely of the longitudinalaxis of the sleeve (7); a plate member (52) having a guide groove (51)extending therealong, the guide groove over at least a part of itslength being angled obliquely relative to the sleeve (7); and a guidepin (50) extending from the rear section (39,40) into the guide groove(51) to reciprocate in the guide groove (51) during movement of thelongitudinal slide (30) synchronously with the sleeve (7) and back toits starting position.
 2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, furthercomprising:a plurality of support rollers (27,28); and pivotal armsdisposing the rollers on either side of the sleeve (7) for rolling off acut sleeve (7) in either direction.
 3. The apparatus as claimed in claim1, wherein the knife (36) is a freely rotatable knife, and wherein theforward section (43,44) includes an arm (45) having the knife at itsfree end, and at its opposing end is longitudinally displaceably mountedon the forward section, whereby the free portion of the arm (45) outsidethe forward section is adjustable for adaptation to different diametersof the sleeve (7).
 4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, furthercomprising:an end arm (26); a bar (34) extending adjacent the sleeve (7)and coupling the longitudinal slide to the end arm so that the distancebetween the longitudinal slide (30) and the end arm (26) is adjustableto the desired length of the cut sleeve (7); and a second piston andcylinder assembly (33) disposed between a fixed portion (1) of theapparatus and the longitudinal slide (30) for cooperating indisplacement thereof with the sleeve (7) and for returning thelongitudinal slide (30) and the end arm (26) to their starting positionsafter the cutting operation.
 5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 4,further comprising a third piston and cylinder assembly (55,56) forpivoting the end arm (26) away from the end of the sleeve (7).
 6. Theapparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the longitudinal slide (30)includes two mutually registering, substantially identical further crossslides arranged to execute substantially the same, but mutuallycounter-directed movement patterns.